Sunday, May 8, 2016 - Second full day

So today it is the Sabbath.  Some may call the "Holy Day of rest and remembering".  This was far from a rest day in Jordan's quest to complete as many miles as possible in 7 days.  The first 175 miles had three major accents.  I would argue running a marathon is easier than one of those accents.  Today is also Mothers Day, so I was concerned traffic would be higher than normal as people are going to be with Mom.

Sleeping was uneventful, although it did get cold.  I would guess 35 degrees was the low temperature.  I woke at 5 AM and found the inside of the car windows were coated with water.  My pillow even had its share of dampness as well.  I slept in the passenger seat while the person who needed to most rest stretched out in the back of the Subaru Outback.  I was sitting quietly so Jordan could his much needed sleep and recovery. 

At 7:30 AM he was awake and we prepared for the journey.  He looked a little fatigued.  He was able to start just after 9:00 AM while I finished getting the car situated for the day and search for the keys I lost last night.  I checked every inch of ground and no luck.  I felt bad and stupid.  While there is not excuse, he is physically tired and emotionally, I am already feeling the strain.

Our hotel for the night

There was light rain to start the day - 9:18 AM

The start of the days ride was slightly up-hill and there was little wind.  The road was narrow, yet low traffic provided a safe ride.  The first 14 miles were hard for Jordan.  Just before McClure Pass, he stopped so I could stretch him as he was very tight.  He stated it was not an easy ride today.  It was obvious he was pushing his limits.

McClure Pass is an 8 percent grade for three continuous miles.  After three major climbs already, this fourth would take all the heart and soul Jordan could find to succeed.  This is the first time I saw him labored climbing since the start of the ride.  I started to get concerned as when you are fatigued, accidents happen.

He did make the peak without stopping for any rest.  He was obviously spent but was prepared to move into an downslope.

One happy man!

As stated, before after he climb comes the descent.  These are often harder as you have to balance the speed with constant application of the brakes and after a while, the hand gets so sore even to the point of cramping.  Although, the upcoming weather will make this descent harder than the others.  He had a head wind and there were parts where he needed to peddle, or the wind would slow him down.  In addition, this was a narrow road and one I would not consider safe.

He continued to work hard and made Hotchkiss, Colorado at Noon.  That meant well over 50 miles in less than 3.5 hours.  Recall, that meant outrageous climbs, hard wind and stops.  That was total time.  It was taking it s toll!  He was a man who the weather gods kept punching hard.

Jordan trying to outride the storm!

When we left Hotchkiss, the road was clearly dangerous.  So we loaded the bike to find a location that would be suitable to start.  He was not happy as he feels it is "cheating", I think it is not cheating, but wise. This was a portion of road you only ride if suicidal!  Jordan did point out some strange artwork!

We continued the ride things just did not look good.  He started to have knee pain that we could not explain.  So with the bad roads, fatigue and weather, we decided to drive to Durango, Colorado where we would get a hotel and nurse his body, mostly the overuse injury of the knee.  (See video of the weather below, and yes, that is snow.)

We arrived at the hotel, unpacked and started to nurse his body.  He took an ice bath, used heat and ice throughout the night.  He was thinking about a change of plans.  He had needed to ride over 130 miles a day to make California, and that was looking slim without potential long-term issues.  We agreed that we would take it day by day without any requirements.  We would drive as need to get as many enjoyable rides toward.  Then on Friday, we make sure we are close to Silverton, Colorado, for a serious of Climbs to Montrose.

That ride is called the Million Dollar Highway.  It is a pass that has a base elevation 5,600 feet in Montrose and 6,500 feet in Durango.  The Sultan Mountain, Kendall Mountain, and Storm Peak surround it,  There are three peaks: Coal Bank Pass at 10,640 feet, Molas Pass at 10,970 Feet and Red Mountain Pass at 11,018 Feet.

In addition, he thought it would be fun to coordinate the ride to the four corners area. This is where Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona meet.  I am going to look at the route we need to take to get to the four corners from Durango.  UPDATE:  This was already on the planned route, yippee.  It will eliminate the slim chance he had to make California, but at least the ride will not be dreadful and painful!


Segment 1 - 9:18 AM start

Segment 2 - 2:54 PM start

1.27 miles, 5:16 with 6 feet of climb.  This was where he had heavy knee pain outside Hotchkiss and we called it a day to look for ice and a wrap.


OVERALL SUMMARY (Day/Overall)

• Miles - 52.57  / 227.63
• Elevation  - 3.343 feet / 21.050 feet
• Riding Time (H:M:S) - 3:34:57 /16:01:55